Which 1960s McDonald’s symbol was created by combining two restaurant arches into an “M”?

The Golden Arches were created by combining two McDonald’s restaurant arches into an “M.”

The arches originally functioned as architectural elements on restaurant buildings. Their bright, curved shapes were intended to attract attention and help motorists recognize McDonald’s locations from the road.

The 1962 logo design turned those separate architectural forms into one compact corporate emblem. That transformation made the symbol usable beyond buildings, including on signs, packaging, printed advertisements, and later digital media.

The name “Golden Arches” refers to the visual form and its distinctive color, not to a menu item. The mark is also sometimes described simply as the McDonald’s “M,” but “Golden Arches” is the canonical branding term. Its continuing use reflects the success of converting a building feature into a global identity.